Right In The Middle
by Diane Clifford
Summary: One shot. Buzz teaches Jessie how to stargaze, and she returns the favour, with unforeseen results.


He's so deeply engrossed in what he's looking at that he doesn't see the petite redhead join him at the window.

"Whatcha looking at?" she asks quietly, as she settles down beside him.

Buzz regards her with a brief sideways glance and a smile, and gives a cursory tip of his head towards the sky. "Just stars. Working out what constellations are in view tonight."

"You can do that?" she asks, and he looks across at her again as she shuffles along the ledge towards him. He wraps an arm around her waist and nods.

"I'd be a pretty bad space ranger if I didn't know the make-up of the night sky, now wouldn't I?"

She grins, sneaking a glance over her shoulder, back to the bed where Bonnie lies asleep. She turns back to look out of the window again. "So, did you figure any of them out yet?"

"Well, that's Polaris right there," Buzz points up to a bright star glowing in the heavens above them. "And that's the Big Dipper right there alongside it."

Jessie squints and shuffles forward a little, staring up at the sky. "I don't see it."

"It's right there." Buzz points again. "And see, you have one, two, three, four, five, six, seven stars in a ladle shape."

"I see Polaris, just not the other one," Jessie leans her upper body forward, and Buzz grabs at the back of her belt.

"Don't move so far forward, Jess. You'll fall off."

"And would you save me if I fell?" she whispers, with a small smile thrown in his direction, but she moves back anyway.

Buzz pulls her into his arms as she moves back towards him, holding her tight. "You know I would," he whispers back, tracing her mouth with his shyly. She clutches at his shoulders, her big green eyes looking into his soft blue ones. Then she pulls back.

"Hey, I have an idea."

He blinks, wondering what's coming.

"How about you teach me how to stargaze, and I'll teach you something in return?"

Buzz regards her for a moment. "I've just been trying to teach you _exactly_ how to stargaze," he reminds her, and she laughs softly.

"So, teach me where to find the constellations, and in return, I'll teach you something."

"Like what?" He asks, wanting to know before he gets himself into something he can't get back out of later on.

She thinks for a moment. "How about...?" she pauses. "How about I teach you some trick roping?"

Buzz eyes her. "Trick what now?"

"Trick roping. Basically the art of throwing a lasso." She explains.

"Oh." This doesn't sound dangerous, thank goodness. "Sure."

"Okay...sooooo...the Dipper," Jessie returns her gaze back to the sky. "Seven stars, right?"

* * *

After their brief astronomy lesson, in which Buzz teaches Jessie where to find not only the Big Dipper, but also the Little Dipper as well as Cygnus, they retire back inside for the second part of the evening.

Up on Bonnie's shelves, Jessie rootles through a plastic crate filled with art supplies, and jumps down again some moments later holding a small length of string. "Now normally, this would be stiff rope so the noose stays open, but we'll have to make do with this. We'll just cheat it a little by tying a knot here." She explains to Buzz, tying the end of the string tightly into a loop.

"Now, what you do is swing the lasso over your head, aim, and...well, lasso whatever you want to," she goes on, raising the string above her head and swinging it in a circle. She grins at Buzz, who's watching her. "Now your turn." She lets the string drop to the floor and passes it across to him.

Buzz takes the end of the string and looks at it quizzically. "So I just swing it around, and then swing it out to lasso, right?"

"That's pretty much it, pard'ner," Jessie says, taking a step back. "Just make sure the space around you is clear, too."

Buzz looks around at his surroundings, making sure he isn't going to hit anything, and then flings the rope into the air. He barely has chance to swing it at all when the rope falls down and hits him on the head.

"Ow." He complains, as Jessie guffaws.

"It does take a little getting used to," she says through her giggles, and he rubs at his temple before flinging the rope up a second time. This time he manages to get two full swings in before the rope falls down, but this time he's able to avoid a bump on the head.

"Keep going," Jessie urges him, as he throws the rope into the air a third time. This time, he gets through five spins before he realises the rope is still in the air. Jessie claps her hands and squeals, "You got it, pard'ner! Now lasso something quick before your luck runs out!"

He grins at her and throws the lasso out. Jessie watches as the shadow of the loop falls over the area...and then squeaks in surprise as she realises what Buzz has lassoed.

Her.

Buzz pulls the rope tight and yanks her in his direction, and she almost loses her footing as she's dragged unmercifully across the shelf. Pulling her up close, Buzz grins at his bewildered girlfriend.

"Gotcha."

"Buzz, I swear, get this rope off me, or I'll..."

"You'll what?" He grins, touching her nose with a finger.

"So help me," she rolls her eyes and moves to step away, but Buzz yanks her back. "Not so fast, cowgirl. I quite like where you're at right now." He pokes her side, making her squirm.

"Buzz," she protests. He knows she's ticklish, in fact she's ticklish in all the same spots as Woody; they are a pair after all.

He smirks. "Oh, I forgot you're a bit sensitive there," he says, and tickles the same spot as she squeaks and giggles.

"Buzzie, stop it," she starts to laugh more as he tickles her harder, trying to keep it stifled lest Bonnie should wake up.

"Make me," he whispers, continuing to tickle her. She doubles over, still laughing, as he tackles her to the shelf in one swift move. In order to keep her quiet, he presses his mouth over hers and continues to let his hands roam up and down her sides, just brushing against her side seams now, but it serves to work as well as if he _were_ tickling her. Jessie splutter-giggles and kisses him back, aware he's pinning her, and loving every moment.

He finally lets her up, loosening the string, and she stumbles to her feet, holding out her hand for it. "Give it here," she says bossily, and he hands the string over with a grin.

"Enjoy that?" He asks.

'_More than you know',_ she thinks, as she nods and turns to walk back over to the crate to return the string. She didn't care for the string being wrapped around her body and the fact she couldn't move her arms for about five minutes. In that time, she's become aware that whatever happens, whatever activity they're partaking in, even if he's trying to teach her something new or vice versa - they'll always end up kissing right in the middle of it.

;)


End file.
